Dr. Richard Frank— I am grateful to Kathy LaTour and CURE Magazine for the review of my book just posted on the CURE website. Please check it out! Richard C. Frank, M.D., is director of cancer research at the Whittingham Cancer Center of Norwalk Hospital, medical director of Mid-Fairfield Hospice, and Clinical
Dr. Richard Frank— The most precious things in life is life itself, good health and the happiness and well-being of our loved ones. When a person is diagnosed with cancer, these important things become jeopardized. Life itself may be shortened by the cancer or at least have the potential to be. A
Dr. Richard Frank— There is alot of talk in the world of cancer today about "personalized cancer medicine" (PCM). PCM means that a cancer patient's treatment is specifically tailored to that individual's cancer based on the results of sophisticated genetic analyses, such as determining the complete DNA sequence (called the genome) of the cancer. PCM
In 2013 a new edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) will be published, and the American Psychiatric Association has already begun to prepare it. A number of mental health professionals are warning that the expanded diagnoses are leading to a world in which almost no
This morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, there was a segment on a test that could predict—with an accuracy rate of 77%—whether or not an individual would live to be a centarian. The test is based on a comparison of the DNA of those who lived to one hundred,
Dr. Richard Frank— Nearly every single day in my medical oncology practice, I have to explain to a fit, non-smoking, healthy-eating individual with no family history of cancer why they now have cancer. I cannot. As I explain in Fighting Cancer with Knowledge and Hope, tobacco use, obesity, diets high in
Dr. Richard Frank— "Doctor, do you believe in alternative medicine to treat cancer?" As a medical oncologist, this is a question I am frequently asked by cancer patients. I totally understand why someone affected by cancer asks this question. The main reasons seem to be: A desire to do "all
Tuesday’s episode of NPR’s Planet Money features an extended piece on the booming spice economy of the Middle Ages, which seems to hold some of the earliest lessons in global economics. Always in high demand in the West, spices were not only used to enliven the bland European cuisine of
Dr. Richard Frank— Surviving cancer requires knowledge and hope, making good choices, lots of effort and sometimes, a lucky break (or two). In Chapter 8 of my book, I tried to encapsulate these many aspects into the helpful mnemonic LMNOP. L is for Less fat in one's diet (especially saturated-fats
Dr. Richard Frank— Sometimes, miracles happen in the real world of fighting cancer. In this vignette from my practice, just published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, I relate how a man with pancreatic cancer, literally on death's door, somehow found another to walk through… Richard C. Frank, M.D., is director of